Degree Programs

B.S. in Biological Sciences

Biology is the science of life and of living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution. Students pursuing a B.S. in Biological Sciences will complete a body of courses covering the unifying principles of biology.

According one survey, Biologists have the highest job satisfaction of any career. Why? It's because biology is inherently interesting, the questions and problems that biologists work on are often vitally important, and if that wasn't enough, biologists are also moderately well paid.

In today's job market, most Professional Biologists need advanced degrees or specific training. The B.S. in Biological Sciences should be viewed as a pre-professional degree that prepares the student for either advanced study in the biological sciences or specific training in a profession (such as in medicine, therapy, law, education, engineering, or business). See the pre-professional options for more information. Because of these realities, biology majors must be well focused and conscientious.

Requirements and Options

Click here for a PDF copy of the Biological Sciences curriculum. The College of Arts and Sciences and MSU requirements also must be met.

There are several possible areas of focus in Biological Sciences. Within the requirements each student can tailor their program, with the help of their faculty advisor, to suit their interests in biology. A student may choose a liberal arts approach and take a broad selection of courses. A student may instead choose to focus their science electives and upper level biology courses on subdisciplines such as Botany, Zoology, Cell Biology, Physiology, Ecology, or Natural History.